jakov, Author at DWP-BALKAN

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The Diaspora as a Substitute for Institutional Insufficiency

It’s summertime. A time when everyone, no matter where we are from, gathers here in Prespa, where our families originate from. It is a time to see each other, to celebrate the holidays, but also to talk about “our affairs” in the villages. Like every summer in the past decade, I am here in the village of Brajchino, the southernmost […]

Politicising One’s History?

Post-Migration and the Transnational Agency of the Balkan diaspora For years now, the Balkan diaspora has been hotly debated through the prism of belonging that idealises unbroken attachment to the former home and fantasies of return. Rigid economic frameworks have instead scrutinised the spillover effects of remittances and foreign investments on those grappling with a fragile welfare state. Either way, […]

Too much noise, too little understanding in North Macedonia

In the aftermath of one lecture, as people were slowly leaving, a woman who had been quiet until then approached me. She simply said, “The more I read, the less clear I am as to what is really going on.” There is more truth in that sentence than in much longer analyses of the media and public trust. Not because […]

What Did the Balkans Do to Protect Women After the Wars?

When women rule, peace lasts – this is what speakers at international conferences often say when talking about gender issues and peace. But in practice, neither women rule (given their low representation in politics), nor is peace lasting. We are witnesses to the constant outbreak of conflicts in different parts of the world, and in each of them the greatest […]

From Streets to Skies: Building a Self-Organized City

The city is one of humanity’s greatest inventions. Not because it is dense, or efficient, or economically productive, but because it made collective life possible beyond mere survival. The city separated humans from constant exposure to hunger, animals, and weather; it organized water, shelter, infrastructure, and care. But more than that, it organized culture. It allowed encounters, disagreements, and solidarities. […]

Our Suppressed Human Identity

In the center of Prilep there is a bust that few people notice. The bust is of Ludwig Lazar Zamenhof, unknown to many in our country, otherwise known as the founder of Esperanto. On the pedestal there is a very important message of the Esperanto movement, written in Esperanto: “The world is one country, humanity is one people”. How inspiring […]